My Average Day in Seoul as a NSLI-Y Student

I'm sure many people are curious about what is it like to be on the NSLI-Y Korea Summer Program, so I thought that I'd talk about my average day in Seoul [while on the program]!

Not all 50 of us did the same things each and every day, and even the things I did each day varied, but I am speaking generally from my own experience. I hope this will answer some questions about what daily life is like on the program and what you can do on the program~

*I did the program in 2014, and it seems like a lot is changing this year, so this might not be that much help for you guys. This is what it was like on my program and what it was like for me. You probably will have a pretty different schedule and experience, so please don't expect your day to be just like ours/mine last year! 

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AVERAGE WEEKDAY

7 a.m: Wake up and eat breakfast with family

8-9 a.m: Get ready and leave apartment 

9-10 a.m: Commute to wherever I am going in the morning [Place of choice or meeting]

10 a.m- 1:15 p.m: Free time and eat lunch [unless program activity or meeting]

1:15- 1:30 p.m: Go to Sogang University in Sinchon for class

1:30- 5:30 p.m: Korean class at Sogang University

5:30- 9:00 p.m: Free time [either go out after class and then go home or go right home]

9- 12 a.m: Spend time with host family and do homework

12-2 a.m: Sometimes study and stay up talking to host family [or go to room for the night]

2-7 a.m: SLEEP

My subway station I was in every day

Often got lunch here! So good!

I usually tried to wake up no later than 8 a.m. while I was in Korea because I didn't want to waste any time by sleeping the day away. Most days I would wake up around 7 a.m. because my host family ate breakfast around then and would leave afterwards for work and school. [I loooved eating breakfast with my host family! It was a good way to spend time with them and talk, so I almost always woke up in time to eat with them before they left.] After breakfast I would get ready to go out to wherever. I didn't want to just stay alone at my apartment when I was in Korea, so I'd walk around and go places alone or I'd make plans with friends and meet them before class! Once a week we had weekly meetings with the RDs&staff, and twice a week we met with our supporters- both, for us, were before school. Lunch I always ate on my own during the week, whether it be with friends or by myself before class. (A lot of times we would eat a cheap lunch in the Sinchon area haha) After class, which ran for 4 hours, I would either go home and be with my family or go explore Seoul on my own or with friends! I went home for dinner the first two weeks or so in order to get close with my family, which I recommend doing. We'd often go to Hongdae or Myeongdong after class and stay there until we had to leave in order to get home in time for curfew! After going home, my family and I would eat a late-night snack of watermelon together EVERY NIGHT haha, and I loved that so so much. We'd talk for hours sometimes over watermelon. After that, I'd do my homework, wash, and go to bed or do some independent studying or talk to my friends (Korean or NSLI-Y friends) before sleeping! Then repeat!!

Class at Sogang

Supporter Group

AVERAGE WEEKEND DAY 

Namsan with Host Mom

This is just going to be in paragraph form because every weekend and weekend day was different since there wasn't a set schedule. I usually woke up around the same time or around 8ish and ate breakfast with my family. We'd talk about what I/we wanted to do for the day and then make plans and get ready to go. If I wasn't doing anything with my family, I'd be doing something with my friends, whether it be going to Hongdae, Dongdaemun, the Hangang, Cheonggyecheon, etc... I would relax at home with my family for a bit on weekend days, but I would almost always go out somewhere because you have to make the most of your time! Haha, so I would be out either most of the day until curfew or come home for dinner depending on the day's plans with friends and host family.. The weekends were usually pretty chill, but often times I'd have more homework (I think) than on the weekdays. Curfew was later on the weekends (Saturday&Sunday night) so I'd usually take advantage of that and explore the busy areas like Sinchon, Myeongdong, Hongdae, and Dongdaemun at night. I'd come home, eat watermelon with my family, watch TV or just talk and hang with them, then go to my room and sleep eventually. So yeah, that's pretty much my weekend days I think?

Jjimjilbang

Cat Cafe

Hopefully this post was somewhat interesting to you guys... I just got home from a week of volunteering in Boston and am exhausted, but I wanted to finish this post and get it done tonight. I don't know how similar your schedule will be to ours was last year in 2014, but regardless of how much free time you have, what time your classes and meetings are, or what kind of activities you will be doing, it'll be amazing and you'll get a better taste of Korea through whatever you do in your day! I'm seriously super stoked and jealous of y'all! :) 

Any questions or blog topic suggestions, let me know! I'm open to blogging about whatever you want me to ^^